Combined railway-tie and fastener.



J. R. WATSON & R. M. LISTON.

' COMBINED RAILWAY TIB AND FASTENER) APPLICATION FILED MAR.17, 1913.

1,079,677. Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

Inventors Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH ROBERT WATSON AND ROBERT MARTIN L'IsTON, or TILTONSVILLE, OHIO.

COMBINED RAILWAY-TIE Ann FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 17, 1913. Serial No. 754,971.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOSEPH R. WATSON and ROBERT M. LIsToN, citizens of the United States, residing at Tiltonsville, in the county of Jefferson, State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Combined Railway-Tie and Fastener, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combined rail tie and fastener, one of its objects being to provide improved means practically entirely housed within the tie whereby the rails mounted on the tie can be securely fastened without the use of nuts and bolts such as are commonly employed.

A further object is to provide rail fastening means which will not accidentally work loose as a result of the vibration set up by trains passing over the rails.

A further object is to provide means whereby rails can be quickly as well as securely attached to the ties, the fastening means being such as to permit the rails to expand and contract freely.

\Vith the foregoing and other Objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter de scribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the tie and fasteners, one rail being shown in section and secured by the fasteners while another rail, indicated by dotted lines, is shown in released position. Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on line A-'B Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of the tie. Fig. A is an enlarged perspective view of one of the rail fasteners; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the locking key used in connection with one of the fasteners. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the pivots used in connection with the fasteners.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a metallic tie of any preferred cross sectional contour, the said tie, however, being preferably provided ened at the points where the recesses are formed so that there will be no reduction of metal and consequent weakening of the tie at these points. These thickened portions have been indicated at 6.

Patented Nov. 2 5, 1913. i

As shown in Fig. 1, each recess is provided with a mouth 7 at its upper end, the mouths of the two recesses being spaced apart a distance somewhat less than the width of the base of a rail R. From these mouths the recesses diverge downwardly forming enlarged rounded sockets 8. EX- tending transversely through the upper portion of each recess 5 is a pivot pin 9 which can be riveted in place or secured in any other suitable manner. This pivot pin is engaged by a-locking member 10 provided at its upper end with spaced jaws 11 designed to embrace one of the base flanges of the rail R while its lower end is enlarged, as at 12, to form a weight whereby the jaws 11 are held normally extended upwardly and outwardly from the path of the rail being placed in or removed from position. The locking members 10 in the recesses of each pair are duplicates but are oppositely disposed so that the jaws on the two looking members will engage opposed flanges of a rail. Keyhole slots 13 are formed in opposed walls of each recess 5, the reduced portions of the slots being extended upwardly from the eyes thereof, as shown particularly in Fig. 3. These keyhole slots are adapted to receive keys, one ofwhich has been shown in detail in Fig. 5. Each key consists of a stem 14 having a wing 15 can tending longitudinally thereof, the length ofthe wing being substantially equal to the width of the interior of the recess 8. A head 16 isformed at one end of the stem and both ends of the stem project beyond the ends of the wing 15. A drain opening 17 is formed in the botton ofeach recess 5.

In using this device the tie 1 is placed in position and the locking members 10 are normally held by gravity in the positions shown at the left of Fig. 1. The rails to be secured are then lowered onto the tie 1 so that the outer side edges of their base flanges will bear downwardly on the lower jaws of the locking members, thus swinging the weighted lower ends of the locking members upwardly and outwardly and bringing the upper jaws 11 of said members downwardly onto the base flanges, as shown in Fig. 1, at the right thereof. hen the weighted portions of the fasteners are thus raised, they pass from between the keyhole slots 13. Thus the keys, one of which has been shown in Fig. 5, can be inserted into the keyhole slots until the wings 15 are brought to position close to the bottoms of the enlarged portions 12 of the fastening members. The wings 15 can then be caused to swing downwardly to vertical positions, thus preventing withdrawal of the keys form the keyhole slots unless the wings are swung upwardly to positions where they can be withdrawn from the keyhole slots. Obviously as long as the keys are seated across the recesses 5 they will hold the fastening members 10 against movement relative to the tie 1 and,consequently,the rails R will be held securely fastened to the tie although permitted to expand and contract without resistance. As the wings 15, when seated in the recesses 5, hang downwardly by gravity, and as they prevent withdrawal of the keys as long as they are thus positioned, it will thus be seen that accidental removal of the keys as a result of vibration, is prevented and, consequently, the rails cannot be unfastened unless done intentionally. The openings 17 permit the drainage from the recesses 5 of any moisture which may accumulate therein.

What is claimed is 1. The combination with a tie having a recess extending thereinto from its top, of a rail fastening member pivotally mounted in the recess and including means at one end for engaging a rail and a weighted portion at its other end, and a key insertible into the recess and under the weighted portion to hold the rail engaging means in active position.

2. The combination with a tie having a recess extending downwardly thereinto, of a rail fastening member pivotally mounted in the recess and having a rail engaging jaw at its upperend and a weighted portion at its lower end, said weighted portion holding the jaw normally in inactive position, and a key insertible transversely through the recess and under the weighted portion to hold the jaw in active position.

3. The combination with a rail tie having a recess extending thereinto from the top thereof, of a rail fastener pivotally mounted in the recess and having spaced jaws at its upper end for extending over and under the base flange of a rail respectively, there being a weighted portion at the other end of the member and within the recess, a key insertible in the recess and under the weighted portion to hold the jaws in engagement with a rail, and means on the key and cooperating with the wall of the recess for preventing accidental displacement of the key.

4. The combination with a rail tie having a recess extending downwardly thereinto, of a rail fastener pivotally mounted in the recess and having upper and lower rail engaging jaws at its upper end and a weighted portion at its lower end, said weighted portion holding the jaws normally in inactive positions, there being upwardly extending keyhole slots in opposed walls of the recess,a key insertible into the slots and having a wing, said wing being movable by gravity downwardly in the recess to prevent withdrawal of the key, said key constituting means for holding the weighted end of the rail fastener against downward movement and for holding the jaws in rail engaging position.

5. The combination with a rail tie having a recess extending downwardly thereinto, of

rail fastener pivotally mounted in the recess and having upper and lower rail engaging jaws at its upper end anda weighted portion at its lower end, said weighted portion holding the jaws normally in inactive positions, there being upwardly extending keyhole slots in opposed walls of the recess, a key insertible into the slots and having a wing, said wing being movable downwardly by gravity in the recess to prevent withdrawal of the key, said key constituting means for holding the weighted end of the rail fastener against downward movement and for holding the jaws in rail engaging position, there being a drain opening extending downwardly from the bottom of the recess.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH ROBERT WATSON. ROBERT MARTIN LISTON.

lVitnesses MARY VoN MURALT, ROBERT CUNNINGHAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

